Why do I love Emerson's so much?

ebidis

ebidis

Joined
Jun 23, 2012
Messages
2,846
This is all just 'cause it's slow in here. So C'mon guys! Post some pics, comment, throw insults at me, anything to liven it up a bit.:D

My first Emerson was the Super CQC-7. It was all down hill from there. After I started buying Emerson's, I stopped buying Spyderco's and Benchmade's, and I've traded/sold other knives recently to acquire new Emerson's (let's just say my collection is a few ZT's lighter).

I think I would be happy with nothing but my Emerson's and CRK's. Well, maybe a couple of ZT's. Like the Emerson collaborations.:D

No matter what I carry in my right pocket (an Umnunzaan lately), I can't leave the house without an Emerson in my left pocket. I have consistently carried Emerson's more, and longer, than any other make of knife. Can't see myself ever without one.

What is it about Emerson's? The designs? The ergonomics? The blade grind bad assery? The Customer service? Ernie himself? I say all of the above. Or maybe I'm just a mall ninja.:D

There are so may models and variations, and I WANT THEM ALL!

The whole collection as it stands:



The signed blades, left to right: CSF, CQC-8, Iron Dragon



The waveless:



The auto:



And one for Rolf, The 7's
 
I like Emersons but I admit I purchase them because I have the disposable income to do so. In terms of cost effectiveness they are not very high on my list.

I prefer the chisel grind for everyday tasks now. The combination of Emerson's heat treat, steel choice and a chisel grind is an ideal balance in my view. However, this preference actually turns me off on many Emersons because they are V ground with a chisel edge - I really do prefer the chisel grind.

In terms of balance and ergonomics I don't think anybody does it better, or more consistently well. The only folder series in the world with better ergonomics than the Commander, in my view, is the Socom series by Microtech, and that design is not as secure in the hand as the Commander. Balance is always at the choil, which really does make a huge difference in use.

I find the thumb disk to be the most intuitive and slip proof opening method on a manual folder, so that's another draw.

They suit the relatively light to moderate tasks I do from day to day. I imagine if I needed more strength/security of my knife, it could be a different story. Put another way: Emerson's are redundantly strong for the tasks I do, but that might not be the case if my tasks were heavier.
 
Thanks, ebidis! Nice 7V.
I have been around for sometime and so has Ernest, as he knows how to design a knife. No matter what other knife I try, an Emerson comes back to my pocket. I have to say tho, my Mission MPF Ti is still riding with me... at this time.
 
ebidis said:
What is it about Emerson's?
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Knife guys love knives, and Emerson knives have lots of knife flavor. That's why people like them. Other elements go into it, like Mr. Ernie's personality and his availability on the forums, and the perceived bad axeness of the knives. I agree that they are too spendy for what you get, so I have limited myself to only 4 or 5 of them. :) But they fire off the pleasure neurons in the brains of a certain segment of knife freaks, no doubt.
 
Lycosa said:
Thanks, ebidis! Nice 7V.
I have been around for sometime and so has Ernest, as he knows how to design a knife. No matter what other knife I try, an Emerson comes back to my pocket. I have to say tho, my Mission MPF Ti is still riding with me... at this time.
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Rolf, I'm shocked!:eek:
And disappointed.:(

It's ok, when your done with your little fling, you'll be back.;)
 
I love my Emersons because they're one of a kind in design, they set the standard in design and ergonomics, and they just work. No gimmicks, no frills, no bull. They just work, and admirably at that.

"Oh but Ttran778 your Combat Karambit isn't as good as the ______________"

You're right. It's better on so many levels. There's a reason the Emerson Combat K is the industry's best and standard.

"Yea well the CQC series doesn't hold its value like the ______________"

Sure, they may not. That's because they're meant to be used. They're KNIVES. Maybe my Horseman won't sell for a million dollars in ten years, but it'll perform better than any ten million dollar knife will.
 
I like Emersons because they're cut a little rougher.

I've carried one off and on since I bought a Benchmade tanto (Emerson design) a long time ago and then Emerson went on their own. When was that...early '90's? Been through a lot of models over the years and still have more Emersons than any single brand in my collection.

When new, Emersons are the fussiest, most fickle knives I know of as a brand. It's like bringing a new puppy home and wondering where it's going to pee. I expect it and it's part of the quirky charm of a great line of knives.

Only with an incoming Emerson will I tolerate an off-center blade, grit in the pivot, some remnants of the G-10 grind that need to be wiped from the handle still, right out of the box. Any other brand would go right back to the dealer.

Always the "tuning in" for a new Emerson---Loosen her up in places, tighten her down in others....loosen the whole thing; tighten it all back down. Play with the pivot for a while. Suddenly it's perfect. And stays that way.​

First on my list...they encourage you to take apart their folders with no warranty issues. One of only, what, 3 or 4, production companies who do so?

Emerson is to 154CM what Buck is to 420HC. Good steel. Heat-treated screws that won't strip. Double detents--who else does that in the production world?

Unbeatable ergonomics. I like chisel grind and how easily sharp it can be made. Good solid liners provide strength you can feel. All of my Emersons have arrived with early lockup then settle in and stay. I'm fine with 15% lockup on a new one. Never had a F&F problem.

IMO, Emerson G-10 is the best in the biz. They get it just right for grip/non slip. Just holding an Emerson you know you are holding a no--nonsense, well built, sturdy knife that will last.

Definitely a learning curve with an Emerson. A lot of people miss the Emerson bus. But a lot of people get it. :)
 
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asdf12345 said:
........They suit the relatively light to moderate tasks I do from day to day. I imagine if I needed more strength/security of my knife, it could be a different story. Put another way: Emerson's are redundantly strong for the tasks I do, but that might not be the case if my tasks were heavier.
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Just a hunch, but...I don't think anyone says that when they're holding a Super 7 or 8.
 
EChoil said:
Just a hunch, but...I don't think anyone says that when they're holding a Super 7 or 8.
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A knife feeling solid in the hand doesn't necessarily equate to how sturdy that knife is. HALOs for example jiggle all over the place and feel like a toy in the hand but it can take a lot more abuse than one would initially think.
 
EChoil said:
... It's like bringing a new puppy home and wondering where it's going to pee. I expect it and it's part of the quirky charm of a great line of knives...
:)
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This is the single greatest analogy I have ever read.:D
 
asdf12345 said:
A knife feeling solid in the hand doesn't necessarily equate to how sturdy that knife is. HALOs for example jiggle all over the place and feel like a toy in the hand but it can take a lot more abuse than one would initially think.
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By your own logic, you have completely negated your previous statement about your perceived sturdiness of Emerson's, because I could use your exact words to argue against your previous opinion. :foot::p

IMHO, I think my Emerson's would stand up to a fair amount of abuse. I'm not going to purposefully abuse them to find out though.:D
 
ebidis- Easy!
I will soon have a CQC7 with a Ti blade. Black Ti. All will be in order.
rolf
 
Thanks.
Reese Weiland. The blade will be in a traditional Japanese style too. There will be pix.
 
asdf12345 said:
A knife feeling solid in the hand doesn't necessarily equate to how sturdy that knife is. HALOs for example jiggle all over the place and feel like a toy in the hand but it can take a lot more abuse than one would initially think.
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Emersons don't jiggle. And they provide a confident feel in-hand.

Held your Commander lately?
 
ebidis said:
This is the single greatest analogy I have ever read.:D
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I don't know about THAT, but for me it's part of having 'em. It's also why I think so many never catch on to what great knives they are. People need to know going in that an Emerson is going to be very finicky and have that 'familiarity curve' at first. They arrive as spoiled children. At least I don't THINK I've just imagined that all this time....

I'd say an Emerson knife comes closer to having it's own distinct 'personalilty' (often 'bitchy,' until they get to know you) more than any other brand I can think of right now. I guess only owners know that.
 
ebidis said:
By your own logic, you have completely negated your previous statement about your perceived sturdiness of Emerson's, because I could use your exact words to argue against your previous opinion. :foot::p

IMHO, I think my Emerson's would stand up to a fair amount of abuse. I'm not going to purposefully abuse them to find out though.:D
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I wasn't implying a correlation or causation either way. Just that a knife 'feeling' sturdy has nothing to do with its actual sturdiness or strength.
 
EChoil said:
Emersons don't jiggle. And they provide a confident feel in-hand.

Held your Commander lately?
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Again, what I'm trying to say is that the presence or lack of a 'confident feel' doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how strong or sturdy a knife actually is. Although I trust my Emersons to do the tasks I use them for, and to do more abusive tasks than those, it doesn't mean I trust them to do certain other tasks. Solid, sturdy feel in hand or not.
 
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